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The Mackie Onyx Satellite FireWire Recording System is the world’s first modular recording system featuring a sleek, portable FireWire recording pod and dedicated Base Station.
The FireWire bus-powered recording pod features two premium Onyx preamps and top-notch 24-bit/96kHz capable A/D and D/A converters. The Pod snaps right into place on the Base Station providing A/C power and additional I/O, turning the system into a two-input, six-output FireWire audio interface with an advanced input-patching matrix, Talkback, Monitoring, and Surround Speaker control. Together, this innovative system gives you superior sound quality and flexibility—all without having to disconnect your studio gear when you hit the road.

Mackie Onyx Satellite Features

Innovative two-piece FireWire Recording System for professional audio production on Mac or PC

Portable Satellite Pod docks into Satellite Base Station, allowing users to record on location without disconnecting and reconnecting cables

Onyx Satellite represents a breakthrough for computer-based audio and music production. As the world's first two-piece FireWire recording system, Satellite consists of a portable recording Pod with premium Onyx mic preamps, and a desktop Base Station with additional inputs and outputs. You simply undock the Pod when you want to record on location - leaving the Base Station connected to all your desktop studio gear (microphones, instruments, headphones, studio monitors, etc.). Then, once you've returned to your studio, simply dock the Satellite Pod back into the Base Station with a reassuring click.

The Base Station provides additional I/O, monitor control and Talkback with a built-in mic. And the system comes with a full-featured copy of Tracktion 2 music production software with Mackie Mixing and Mastering tools, so you can go from initial idea to final CD. (Of course, with WDM, GSIF, ASIO and Core Audio drivers, Onyx Satellite can also be used with most major audio software on Mac or PC.)

UNSURPASSED SOUND QUALITY

When developing a FireWire audio/recording interface, it pays to know your stuff. So it's worth noting that Mackie started as a professional audio company, not a software or computer peripheral company. As such, Mackie engineered Satellite with a focus on crucial components like mic preamps, superior analog circuitry, and A/D and D/A converters. Instead of me-too, off-the-shelf mic preamps, Satellite offers Mackie’s premium Onyx mic preamps - giving you dynamic range and noise specifications rivaling much more expensive standalone mic pres. All the analog circuitry was designed by the veteran Mackie engineering team in Woodinville, WA with higher headroom and lower noise specs than anything in its class… by far. And Mackie specified professional AKM-brand, phase-accurate 24-bit/96kHz Analog-to-Digital and Digital-to-Analog converters, to ensure that what comes in, is what goes out, and back in, and back out.

THE GO-ANYWHERE SATELLITE POD
In addition to the aforementioned Onyx mic preamps, the robust aluminum-and-steel Satellite Pod features Neutrik™ Combo input connectors on Channels 1 and 2, which allow you to use either a quarter-inch TRS connector or an XLR connector. A global 48V switch applies phantom power to both XLR input connectors, so you can power your studio condenser mics. Channels 1 and 2 also feature an Instrument Select switch, which lets you connect an acoustic, electric, or bass guitar directly to the quarter-inch input, eliminating the need for an external direct box. The Pod also has a stereo Control Room output and two stereo Headphone jacks, each with separate level controls (the Control Room and Phones 1 outputs share a level control). And of course, there's a FireWire connector for jacking into your desktop or laptop. Because the Satellite Pod is bus-powered via FireWire, there's no need for a separate power supply.

THE SATELLITE BASE STATION
When the Pod is docked to the Base Station, it gains additional features and expanded I/O capabilities. Namely, a separate XLR connector, two quarter-inch TRS line-input connectors, and a quarter-inch TS instrument connector for each channel, with Select switches for each input source. Plus Insert jacks for Channels 1 and 2, letting you send and return the signal to an external processor (like, say, a killer vintage outboard compressor/limiter you bought from some dude on eBay for like $100 bucks because he didn't know what it was).

The Base Station also gives you six channels of analog balanced line outputs, provided on quarter-inch TRS connectors. Two of these can be used as stereo Control Room outputs, with an A/B Switch to route the signal to two separate pairs of monitors for comparison. For communicating with studio talent, the Base Station also serves up a built-in Talkback microphone, which can be routed to the Phones/Control Room output or to the DAW for slating.

And like the Satellite Pod, the Base Station can be powered directly from the FireWire bus (when using a six-pin FireWire connector), or from the 12V DC power supply included in the box.

MONITORING AND SURROUND CONTROL
As mentioned, the Base Station's Control Room section allows you to select between one of two monitor outs for multiple monitor speaker setups. Additionally, you can switch monitoring between your DAW outputs and the connected inputs—so you can plug in to jam or listen to your iPod without having to boot your DAW software. Lastly, the Satellite/Base Station combo allows you to control the volume of six outputs for Surround sound with a single volume knob—a feature that would cost a bundle if you had to buy it separately. And it’s worth mentioning that all these things stay connected on your desktop, so you never have to repatch cables when you go to record on location.

TRACKTION 2 SOFTWARE AND MACKIE MASTERING TOOLS
The Satellite system comes with Mackie's popular Tracktion 2 Music Production Software. Tracktion 2's hallmark single-screen interface and intuitive workflow make it the perfect audio and MIDI production solution for both novice and seasoned DAW users alike. And T2's feature set is immense: unlimited track count, VST and ReWire support, a high-definition 64-bit mix engine, QuickTime video import, external synchronization, MIDI controller mapping, Mac and PC compatibility, and integrated Mackie Control Universal and C4 support, just to name a few. But more importantly, Tracktion 2 does it all in a way that never gets in the way of your creativity.

Power Requirements
Both units can be powered by the 6-pin FireWire connection or by the DC Power Supply included.

In the U.S.: 120 VAC/60 Hz In
12V DC Out

Physical Dimensions and Weight

Pod:

Height: 2.1 in (53 mm)

Width: 8.0 in (203 mm)

Depth: 4.1 in (104 mm; including front knobs and rear jacks)

Weight: 1.8 lb (0.8 kg)

Base Station:

Height: 4.4 in (112 mm); 4.6 in/117 mm with feet

Width: 10.8 in (274 mm)

Depth: 7.1 in (180 mm)

Weight: 6.1 lb (2.8 kg)

LOUD Technologies Inc. is always striving to improve our products
by incorporating new and improved materials, components, and manufacturing methods. Therefore, we reserve the right to change these specifications at any time without notice.